UNITED NATIONS, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The members of the UN Security Council on Monday condemned the announcement by the Taliban of a spring offensive, which they say will only "result in more unnecessary suffering and destruction for the Afghan people."

"The members of the Security Council recognized the Afghan people's strong desire for sustainable peace in Afghanistan. They underscored that calls for more fighting will not advance the goal of making a sustainable peace," said a press statement issued by the Security Council.

They reiterated the importance of an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process for the long-term prosperity and stability of Afghanistan and expressed their full support for the Afghan government's efforts to that end.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated that, as mandated by the Security Council, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the special representative of the secretary-general stand ready to provide their good offices to support the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, if requested by and in close consultation with the Afghan government," said the statement.

The Taliban group announced its annual spring offensive on Friday and since then has launched a series of attacks against government interests in the militancy-battered country, officials confirmed.